Trump news – live: Supreme Court dismisses Democratic lawsuit over Trump hotel documents

The Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit from a number of Congressional Democrats who were attempting to get information about the government lease for the Washington, DC hotel previously owned by former President Donald Trump.

The court decided to dismiss the suit after the legislators voluntarily dropped the case earlier in June. The justices had agreed to hear a bid by the Biden administration to block the suit.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump spoke before 2,500 supporters at Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner, where he was honoured by the party as its “Man of the Decade” on Sunday night.

During the event, he claimed that electric vehicles would result in the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry and claimed that his criminal indictments are “bulls***”.

Michigan could be a key focus of the 2024 race after Mr Trump won the state in 2016 but lost it to Mr Biden in 2020.

His appearance came one day after he told a crowd of evangelicals on Saturday that the federal government has a “vital role” in the restriction of abortion access and once again took credit for overturning Roe v Wade.

Key Points

• At least five Secret Service agents have testified before Jan 6 grand jury, report says

• Supreme Court dismisses case in which Democratic lawmakers sued over Trump hotel lease

• ‘If Republicans are going to carry the state, they need to win Oakland County’

• Trump’s popularity in Michigan has taken a hit since 2016

• Trump’s chief of staff said his ideas were ‘flat-out illegal,’ book alleges

Trump hotel documents case brought by Democrats dismissed by Supreme Court

21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

The Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit from a number of congressional Democrats who were attempting to get information about the government lease for the Washington DC hotel previously owned by former President Donald Trump.

The court decided to dismiss the suit after the legislators voluntarily dropped the case earlier in June in federal district court. The justices had agreed to hear a bid by the Biden administration to block the suit.

The case was first initiated in 2017 – Mr Trump’s first year in office – when 17 Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee sued the General Services Administration (GSA) for information about the 2013 lease of the Old Post Office building to Mr Trump’s company to make it into a hotel.

The court threw out a ruling from a federal appeals court that let the lawsuit proceed. The Monday ruling from the top US court had been sought by the Justice Department under President Joe Biden. The administration had been concerned that if the appeals court ruling had been allowed to stand, it could prompt a barrage of lawsuits from individual members of Congress against the administration.

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Trump hotel documents case brought by Democrats dismissed by Supreme Court

Chris Christie tells ‘Adonis’ Trump to ‘look in the mirror’ when asked about attacks on weight

21:00 , John Bowden

Former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie is ready for any jabs at his appearance which Donald Trump may aim at him on the debate stage.

That was the message he sent this weekend when asked about the issue on Fox News’s MediaBuzz, quipping to host Howard Kurtz that Mr Trump was no “Adonis”. Mr Trump has made a handful of references to the governor’s weight since the launch of the latter’s campaign, including by posting a photoshopped image of Mr Christie onstage with a buffet of food poorly edited into the frame.

“Oh, like he’s some Adonis?” Mr Christie said to Kurtz, who was suppressing a grin.

“Here’s my message to him: I don’t care what he says about me, and I don’t care what he thinks about me, and he should take a look in the mirror every once in a while. Maybe he’d drop the weight thing off of his list of criticisms,” added the former governor.

The quip was yet another sign of the governor’s emerging campaign strategy: A debate-stage showdown with Donald Trump.

Read more:

Chris Christie tells ‘Adonis’ Trump to ‘look in the mirror’ after weight attacks

At least five Secret Service agents have testified before Jan 6 grand jury, report says

20:30 , Gustaf Kilander

About five or six Secret Service agents have testified before the grand jury deciding if former President Donald Trump should be indicted for his actions in connection to the insurrection on January 6, 2021, sources have told NBC News.

The grand jury is looking into the riot as well as the attempts to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power.

The Secret Service agents who appeared were complying with subpoenas. It remains unclear how close the agents were to Mr Trump on January 6 as well as what information they provided to the grand jury.

The investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith is separate from the investigation he also leads into Mr Trump’s alleged mishandling of national security information which led to the former president’s indictment and Miami arraignment.

Before that case was moved to Florida, about two dozen Secret Service agents appeared before the grand jury in Washington DC, according to NBC.

Read more:

Secret Service agents have testified before Jan 6 grand jury, report says

Supreme Court dismisses case in which Democratic lawmakers sued over Trump hotel lease

20:00 , AP

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a case it had planned to hear about limits on lawsuits filed by members of Congress against the federal government, in a dispute that involved the former Trump International Hotel in Washington.

The justices threw out a federal appeals court ruling that had allowed a lawsuit by Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee to continue. The court’s decision Monday had been sought by the Biden Justice Department, which had worried that the appeals court ruling, if let stand, could lead to a flood of lawsuits from individual members of Congress against the administration.

Read more:

Supreme Court dismisses case in which Democratic lawmakers sued over Trump hotel lease

‘If Republicans are going to carry the state, they need to win Oakland County’

19:30 , AP

Michigan Republicans controlled all levels of state government from 2011 to 2019. Now, they are powerless for the first time in 40 years. The shift has been particularly evident in Oakland County, home to the largest number of Republican voters in the state.

“People who know Michigan electoral politics would say that it’s pretty important that if Republicans are going to carry the state, they need to win Oakland County,” Dave Trott, a former GOP congressman, said.

While Trump lost the county in 2016 and 2020, Biden received nearly 100,000 more votes than Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton did there and won the state by about 155,000 votes, or 2.8 percentage points.

Trump’s popularity in Michigan has taken a hit since 2016

19:00 , AP

Trump’s popularity in Michigan has taken a hit since 2016.

“By Trump’s calculations, he needs to win Michigan again to be the president. But he’s been very disruptive here,” said Dave Trott, a former GOP congressman. “Trump largely is the reason why the Michigan Republican Party is dead.”

Last year, Trump’s endorsed candidates in Michigan were among the loudest in repeating his unfounded claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

Trump’s choice for attorney general, Matthew DePerno, spent the final months of his campaign under investigation into whether he should be criminally charged for attempting to gain access to voting machines after the 2020 election. Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo, a former community college professor, was handpicked by Trump as the Republican nominee for secretary of state after claiming she saw election fraud as a poll challenger in Detroit.

In November, the statewide candidates he backed were overwhelmingly defeated, including Tudor Dixon, who lost by more than 10 percentage points to Whitmer.

Trump is honored by Republicans as the Man of the Decade in a Michigan county he lost twice

18:40 , AP

Former President Donald Trump was honored as the Man of the Decade in a Michigan county he lost twice as he returned to the state looking to reclaim territory that helped propel him to the White House but that slipped from his grasp four years later.

Campaigning for a return to the presidency while facing a federal indictment for allegedly mishandling classified documents, Trump spoke on Sunday in suburban Detroit, where he lost ground between 2016 and 2020 and would need to win it back if he becomes the 2024 Republican nominee. He would have to reverse the recent trend in Michigan that has seen Democrats make some of their biggest gains nationally since Trump’s reelection loss.

Trump spoke at the Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner, where he was honored by the party as its Man of the Decade. Trump frequently attacked President Joe Biden throughout his speech Sunday, saying the Democrat was a “catastrophe” for Michigan and auto production in the state. Trump also criticized Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a co-chair of Biden’s reelection campaign, for approving state funds for a foreign company.

It was Trump’s first campaign appearance in Michigan, one of three states, along with Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, that flipped in 2016 to put him in the White House and Biden four years later.

Trump’s chief of staff said his ideas were ‘flat-out illegal,’ book alleges

18:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Former national security official Miles Taylor has quoted former Trump Chief of Staff John Kelly as saying that a third of Mr Trump’s ideas as president were “stupid,” a third were “impossible to implement” and wouldn’t solve anything, and the final third were “flat-out illegal”.

Lincoln Project blasts Trump for ‘scamming his supporters out of millions'

17:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Supreme Court dismisses Democratic lawsuit over Trump hotel documents

17:25 , Gustaf Kilander

The Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit from a number of Congressional Democrats who were attempting to get information about the government lease for the Washington, DC hotel previously owned by Mr Trump.

The court decided to dismiss the suit after the legislators voluntarily dropped the case earlier in June. The justices had agreed to hear a bid by the Biden administration to block the suit.

The case was first initiated in 2017 – Mr Trump’s first year in office – when 17 Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee sued the General Services Administration (GSA) for information about the 2013 lease of the Old Post Office building to Mr Trump’s company to make it into a hotel.

Pence won’t say whether he’d pardon Trump

16:55 , Eric Garcia

Former vice president Mike Pence did not say whether he would pardon former president Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

Fox News host Shannon Bream asked Mr Trump’s former running-mate about whether he would pardon the former president. Mr Trump pleaded not guilty earlier this month to 37 federal charges related to him illegally retaining documents related to national defence and other classified material at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

“Well, look, if I were the president of the United States, I would take the pardon authority very seriously,” he said, noting how as governor of Indiana he pardoned people and took the task seriously. “I would apply that to every single case in that matter. But I appreciate you raising the point.”

Read more:

Pence won’t say whether he’d pardon Trump

VIDEO: Trump Honored As 'Man Of The Decade' At Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner

16:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Fox News choose Jesse Watters to replace Tucker Carlson in primetime shakeup

16:28 , Bevan Hurley

Fox News has named Jesse Watters as Tucker Carlson’s permanent replacement in the primetime lineup.

The rightwing network announced Watters would permanently take the 8pm hour with Laura Ingraham moving from 10pm to 7pm.

Sean Hannity will remain in his 9pm time with Greg Gutfield moving to 10pm.

Read more:

Fox News choose Jesse Watters to replace Tucker Carlson in primetime shakeup

Republicans try to thread the needle on abortion on anniversary of the death of Roe

16:05 , Eric Garcia

One year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and ended the enshrined right to seek an abortion, Christian conservatives convened in Washington DC to size up the GOP’s leading 2024 candidates.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition held its Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton over the weekend, where every major Republican 2024 candidate appeared to try to win over the crucial evangelical wing of the party. Former president Donald Trump closed out the event on Saturday evening; former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former vice president Mike Pence; former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Sen Tim Scott (R-SC), Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy also made their case to social conservatives.

Last year’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization has caused a split among Republicans. Some have said that the Supreme Court’s decision likely cost Republicans the opportunity to win the majority in the Senate as the GOP failed to flip a single seat, and Republicans only won a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.

An NBC News poll showed that 61 per cent of Americans disapprove of the Dobbs decision, with 80 per cent of women between the ages of 18 and 49 and two-thirds of suburban women saying that they disapproved of it.

Read more:

Republicans try to thread the needle on abortion amid anniversary of the death of Roe

VIDEO: Donald Trump speaks at Oakland County GOP dinner

15:40 , Gustaf Kilander

Watch live: Ron DeSantis to unveil immigration proposals during border visit

15:26 , Billal Rahman

Watch live as Republican presidential candidate and Florida governor Ron DeSantis unveils his immigration policy during a visit to the US-Mexico border.

The GOP candidate is also visiting local communities in Eagle Pass, Texas, to detail his border security plan ahead of the 2024 Republican primaries.

It is the first formal campaign policy announcement of his presidential campaign.

It comes as the Florida Governor has increased his attacks on his main political rival, former President Donald Trump.

A new poll by NBC News showed 51% of Republican primary voters selected Mr Trump as their first choice in the race for the GOP nomination, while Mr DeSantis only received just 22%.

The latest Emerson College poll for the 2024 Republican Primary shows that former president Trump maintains a majority of Republican voters’ support with 59%, followed by Mr DeSantis with 21% and former vice president Mike Pence with 6%. No other candidate reaches 5% in the recent polling.

Ron DeSantis to unveil immigration proposals during border visit

Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry

15:15 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump told an audience of Michigan Republicans that the push for electric vehicles will mean the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry.

The former president made the comments as he appeared at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner on Sunday night, his first appearance in the battleground state in the 2024 cycle.

“It’s going to be a level that people can’t even imagine,” Mr Trump said during his address inside the Suburban Collection Showplace, in Novi, Michigan.

Mr Trump told the crowd that the “maniacal push” for electric vehicles would kill auto jobs in the United States, and mocked the range of the vehicles, saying that they were a win for “tow truck companies.”

“If somebody wants an electric car, I’m all for it. But you should be able to have a choice,” Mr Trump told the crowd.

Read more:

Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry

VIDEO: Trump declares himself the 'most pro-life' president in American history

14:50 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump is funneling 10% of 2024 campaign donations to cover his legal bills

14:25 , John Bowden

Former President Donald Trump is diverting more donations from political supporters to fund his mounting legal costs as multiple court cases put an increased strain on his resources.

Disclosure text on the Trump presidential campaign’s WinRed digital fundraising platform now specifies that 10 per cent of political contributions will go to his legal battles via the Save America PAC.

The other 90 per cent will be used for political campaigning to try to return him to the White House for a second term.

The former president previously took 1 per cent for his legal troubles from political donations.

Mr Trump’s legal issues include his 37-count criminal indictment including violations of the Espionage Act and a sexual abuse civil lawsuit which was recently won by the writer, E Jean Carroll.

The change, first reported by The New York Times, appears to have been made in February or March of 2023, according to archival footage reviewed by the newspaper.

Read more:

Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes

Trump dubs Russia coup a ‘big mess’ as fellow presidential candidates weigh in on Wagner rebellion

14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Former president Donald Trump referred to the armed rebellion in Russia as a “big mess” on Saturday as insurgent leader Yevgeny Prigozhin turned his Wagner paramilitary forces away from Moscow.

“A big mess in Russia, but be careful what you wish for. Next in may be far worse!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

In a separate post, he appeared to invoke news of the latest threats in Russia to baselessly accuse President Joe Biden and his son Hunter of “illegally” collecting money from China and asserting that his rival will “do about Russia whatever President Xi” wants.

Read more here:

Trump dubs Russia coup a ‘big mess’ as fellow candidates weigh in on Wagner uprising

Chris Christie tells 'Adonis' Trump to 'look in the mirror' when asked about attacks on weight

13:40 , Rachel Sharp

Chris Christie has fired back at Donald Trump’s attacks about his weight, mockingly telling the “Adonis” former president to take a “look in the mirror”.

The former New Jersey governor and onetime Trump ally turned arch rival was asked by Fox News’ Howard Kurtz on Sunday about Mr Trump’s repeated quips about his weight.

“Oh, like he’s some Adonis?” he said.

“Here’s my message to him: I don’t care what he says about me, and I don’t care what he thinks about me, and he should take a look in the mirror every once in a while – maybe he’d drop the weight thing off of his list of criticisms.”

Trump claims criminal charges are ‘badge of courage'

13:20 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump appears to have taken a positive approach to the looming prospect of a life behind bars.

Speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition event in Washington DC on Saturday, the former president called his two criminal indictments a “great badge of courage”.

“Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxist, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of courage,” he said.

“I’m being indicted for you and I believe the you is more than 200 million people that love our country.”

Mr Trump was indicted on state charges in New York in April over hush money payments in the lead-up to the 2016 election.

Earlier this month, he was then indicted on federal charges over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

Trump celebrates anniversary of anti-abortion ruling as he tells religious crowd ‘I’m getting indicted for you’

13:00 , Graeme Massie

In remarks to an influential religious right-wing conference on Saturday, Trump took credit for the end of abortion rights enshrined under Roe v Wade, which was overturned by the US Supreme Court a year ago.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he referenced the ruling, a long-sought policy outcome of the religious right.

“Exactly one year ago today, those justices were the pivotal votes in the Supreme Court’s landmark decision ending the constitutional atrocity known as Roe v Wade,” he said.

Eric Garcia has more from Washington DC:

Trump boasts of anti-abortion ruling as he tells crowd ‘I’m getting indicted for you’

Trump named ‘Man of the Decade’ at Michigan Republican event...

12:40 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump was named the “Man of the Decade” at a Republican event in Michigan – a bold title for a man charged with a slew of crimes.

The former president accepted the award at Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner on Sunday night, where he railed against a list of “villains” and claimed “no president has fought harder for Michigan than I have”.

During the event, he claimed that electric vehicles would result in the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry and claimed that his criminal indictments are “bulls***”.

Michigan could be a key focus of the 2024 race after Mr Trump won the state in 2016 but lost it to Mr Biden in 2020.

George HW Bush-appointed judge slams ‘spineless’ Republican party

12:20 , Rachel Sharp

A conservative retired federal judge who was appointed by George H.W. Bush has slammed the “spineless” Republican party for failing to step away from Donald Trump.

In a scathing op ed for The New York Times, J. Michael Luttig said that the GOP is “beyond saving” as it continues to rally round Mr Trump despite the January 6 Capitol riot and is federal criminal indictment.

“If the indictment of Mr Trump on Espionage Act charges – not to mention his now almost certain indictment for conspiring to obstruct Congress from certifying Mr Biden as the president on Jan. 6 – fails to shake the Republican Party from its moribund political senses, then it is beyond saving itself. Nor ought it be saved,” he wrote.

He added: “No assemblage of politicians except the Republicans would ever conceive of running for the American presidency by running against the Constitution and the rule of law. But that’s exactly what they’re planning.”

Republicans try to thread the needle on abortion on anniversary of the death of Roe

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

One year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade and ended the enshrined right to seek an abortion, Christian conservatives convened in Washington DC to size up the GOP’s leading 2024 candidates.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition held its Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton over the weekend, where every major Republican 2024 candidate appeared to try to win over the crucial evangelical wing of the party. Former president Donald Trump closed out the event on Saturday evening; former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, former vice president Mike Pence; former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Sen Tim Scott (R-SC), Florida Gov Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy also made their case to social conservatives.

The Independent’s Eric Garcia reports from the conference in Washington DC:

Republicans try to thread the needle on abortion amid anniversary of the death of Roe

WATCH: Trump declares himself the ‘most pro-life’ president in American history

11:40 , Rachel Sharp

Trump declares himself the ‘most pro-life’ president in American history

Buffalo Bills’ Jordan Poyer reveals why he axed golf tournament

11:20 , Rachel Sharp

Buffalo Bills’ Jordan Poyer has claimed that he was forced to axe his a charity golf tournament after he came under fire for hosting the event at Donald Trump’s clubs.

The Bills safety announced on Instagram on Saturday that he was canceling his annual charity event because several sponsors and teams pulled the plug on their participation.

“Unfortunately, the location of the event led to a few sponsors and golfers withdrawing at the last minute due to external pressures,” he wrote.

“While it’s disappointing, I respect their decision. Nevertheless, we will persevere.”

The event was due to take place in July at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Florida.

GOP censured Schiff for ‘tarnishing’ Trump’s reputation

11:03 , Graeme Massie

Marjorie Taylor Greene says that House Republicans censured California Democrat Adam Schiff in a partisan vote because he had “tainted and tarnished President Trump’s reputation.”

Mr Schiff, who is running for a US Senate seat in 2024 and a leading Trump critic, was cheered by his colleagues as the vote was carried out last week and called it a “badge of honour.”

“We censured Adam Schiff because of how greatly he lied to the American people… It tainished— tainted and tarnished President Trump’s reputation and members of congress should not be conducting their behaviour through lies,” she said on Fox News on Sunday morning.

Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry

10:40 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump told an audience of Michigan Republicans that the push for electric vehicles will mean the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry.

The former president made the comments as he appeared at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner on Sunday night, his first appearance in the battleground state in the 2024 cycle.

“It’s going to be a level that people can’t even imagine,” Mr Trump said during his address inside the Suburban Collection Showplace, in Novi, Michigan.

Read the full story:

Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry

Trump mocked for bizarre outburst at Michigan GOP dinner

10:20 , Rachel Sharp

Christie turns Trump weight jibes around on former president

10:03 , Graeme Massie

The former New Jersey governor’s appearance has been mocked by some Republicans after he jumped into the race against Donald Trump to be the party’s 2024 presidential nomination.

He was asked about Mr Trump’s barbs about his weight when he appeared on Fox News on Sunday morning.

“Oh like he’s some Adonis? He should take a look in the mirror every once in a while, maybe he would drop the weight thing off of his list of criticisms,” said Mr Christie.

Fox News’s influence on GOP field still strong despite troubled year

09:01 , Graeme Massie

The two leading GOP presidential contenders had very different interview experiences with Fox News in the past week — each an illustration of the influence that even a damaged Fox has over the Republican nominating process.

Trump, DeSantis interviews show Fox influence on GOP field still strong despite troubled year

In case that echoes Trump’s, FBI analyst sentenced to four years over classified papers

07:55 , Graeme Massie

A former FBI analyst has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of illegally retaining classified documents in a case that bears similarities to the legal battle faced by former president Donald Trump.

Kendra Kingsbury, 50, worked as an analyst for the FBI for 12 years and held top secret security clearance when she was accused of taking classified documents out of the secure workspace and storing them in her Kansas City home.

Read more...

FBI analyst sentenced to four years over classified paper case that echoes Trump’s

GOP repeatedly claimed that ending Roe merely gave states freedom to decide abortion laws. Now they are pushing for national restrictions

07:01 , Graeme Massie

After the decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization last year, Republicans have said that the Supreme Court ruling merely left abortion restrictions up to states.

But anti-abortion lawmakers and candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are pushing for a national ban that would also strike down state laws that protect and expand abortion access.

Congressional Republicans have passed several anti-abortion measures with national implications, and candidates vying for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination are endorsing national bans.

Trump, however, has offered only muddled answers, as national polling finds anti-abortion laws overwhelmingly unpopular. He has also blamed anti-abortion legislation for Republicans’ losses in 2022 midterm elections.

“One of the reasons they wanted Roe v Wade terminated ... is to bring it back into the states where a lot of people feel strongly the greatest progress for pro-life is now being made,” he told the influential right-wing Faith & Freedom Coalition conference on Saturday.

But he said there remains “a vital role for the federal government in protecting unborn life.”

Retired federal judge says Trump believed he had ‘political immortality'

06:04 , Graeme Massie

Judge J Michael Luttig was appointed by George H. Bush and served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 1991 to 2006.

“Republicans’ spineless support for the past two years convinced Mr Trump of his political immortality, giving him the assurance that he could purloin some of the nation’s most sensitive national security secrets upon leaving the White House — and preposterously insist that they were his to do with as he wished — all without facing political consequences,” he wrote in a guest op-ed for The New York Times.

Buffalo Bills’ Jordan Poyer reveals why he cancelled golf event at Trump club

16:32 , Gustaf Kilander

NFL player Jordan Poyer of the Buffalo Bills announced that he has cancelled his annual golf event, following pushback and teams and sponsors pulling out of the charity tournament after they learned it would be hosted on a course owned by former President Donald Trump.

The Bills safety announced the news on Instagram on Saturday. The event was set to take place next month at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in South Florida.

“Unfortunately, the location of the event led to a few sponsors and golfers withdrawing at the last minute due to external pressures,” the 32-year-old wrote. “While it’s disappointing, I respect their decision. Nevertheless, we will persevere.”

It remains unclear how many sponsors and teams withdrew because of the location.

The event was intended to benefit the ECMC Foundation – the Erie County Medical Center – according to the Buffalo News.

Read more:

Buffalo Bills’ Jordan Poyer reveals why he cancelled golf event at Trump club

Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes

05:06 , Graeme Massie

The former president faces more than 60 criminal charges.

Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes

Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments

04:08 , Graeme Massie

Two of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress have introduced legislation aimed at expunging the former president’s two impeachments.

Elise Stefanik, the fourth highest-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives Republican, and rightwing hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a pair of resolutions that if enacted would aim to change the record “as if such articles had never been passed”.

Read on:

Trump allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments

Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry

03:05 , Graeme Massie

Former president made the comments as he appeared at Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner.

Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will ‘decimate’ state’s auto industry

Trump tells Michigan Republicans that EVs will mean ‘decimation’ of states auto industry

02:01 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump told an audience of Michigan Republicans that the push for electric vehicles will mean the “decimation” of the state’s auto industry.

The former president made the comments as he appeared at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner on Sunday night, his first appearance in the battleground state in the 2024 cycle.

“It’s going to be a level that people can’t even image,” Mr Trump said during his address inside the Suburban Collection Showplace, in Novi, Michigan.

Mr Trump told the crowd that the “maniacal push” for electric vehicles would kill auto jobs in the United States, and mocked the range of the vehicles, saying that they were a win for “tow truck companies.”

“If somebody wants an electric car, I’m all for it. But you should be able to have a choice,” Mr Trump told the crowd.

Trump appears at GOP event in Michigan

01:31 , Graeme Massie

Trump tells Michigan crowd his opponents want to ‘take away my freedom'

Monday 26 June 2023 00:50 , Graeme Massie

“They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom,” the former president told the Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner.

Pence refuses to say if he would pardon Trump

Sunday 25 June 2023 20:56 , Graeme Massie

“I can’t defend what is alleged but the president is entitled to his day in court. And I think we need to let the process go forward,” the former vice president said on Fox News Sunday

“I don’t know why the other people running for president in the Republican primary assume that the president will be found guilty.”

Trump is returning to Michigan with hopes of repeating the battleground success he found in 2016

Sunday 25 June 2023 19:43 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump is set to appear in Michigan on Sunday evening as he looks to reclaim territory that helped propel him to the White House but slipped from his grasp four years later.

Trump is returning to Michigan with hopes of repeating the battleground success he found in 2016

GOP lawmaker attacks Trump over secret documents

Sunday 25 June 2023 18:36 , Graeme Massie

“You don’t show our attack plans on Iran to people who are not cleared. ... And that’s what happened there. And when the government asks for them back, you give them back,” Rep Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday.

Trump diverting more campaign cash into fund used to cover legal fees, report finds

Sunday 25 June 2023 14:36 , Alex Woodward

Trump’s campaign has been pushing more money raised for his 2024 presidential bid into a political action committee that has been used to cover his legal fees, as the former president faces several indictments and investigations in multiple jurisdictions in at least three states.

For every dollar raised for his campaign online beginning with its launch in November, 99 cents went to the campaign while a penny went to the PAC Save America.

But he appears to have adjusted that split, sending 90 per cent of donations to his campaign with another 10 per cent to Save America – a move that may have boosted his PAC by at least $1.5 million, according to The New York Times.

Save America spent $1.9 million in what it identified as legal expenses in the first half of 2022, according to The Times. That spending surged to $14.6 million in the second half of last year, according to records reviewed by the newspaper.

Trump criticizes US aid to Ukraine amid reports of armed rebellion in Russia

Sunday 25 June 2023 12:00 , Graeme Massie

In a post to his Truth Social platform on Saturday morning, Trump blamed Joe Biden for a range of foreign policy decisions, baselessly accusing the president of “illegally” taking “millions and millions of dollars” from China, Ukraine and “many other countries.

“Why hundreds of billions of dollars are given, without any control, to Ukraine,” he wrote.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine and would withdraw aid and force a negotiated settlement, while the Biden administration has continued to support aid to the war-torn country and affirmed US support amid the crisis.

“We’re focused on making sure that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have everything that they need to be successful,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House on Friday.

Nancy Mace is being tipped as Donald Trump’s new running mate... who is she?

Sunday 25 June 2023 09:03 , Graeme Massie

South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace, who once said that Donald Trump’s “entire legacy was wiped out” by the Capitol riot (prompting him to back her primary opponent Katie Arrington last year out of spite) improbably finds herself being touted as the former president’s next running mate after reinventing herself as his arch-defender.

Joe Sommerlad reports.

Could Nancy Mace be Donald Trump’s unlikely next running mate?

‘Too busy’: New ad mocks Trump’s excuse for not handing back boxes

Sunday 25 June 2023 07:57 , Graeme Massie

The group Republican Accountability has released a new advertisement slamming former president Donald Trump’s excuse that he was too “busy” to return boxes of classified documents to the US government.

Mr Trump has claimed, first in a rally at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey last week and then again during a Fox News interview earlier this week, that he failed to return the documents because they were mixed up with his personal belongings and he hadn’t had a chance to go through them yet when the federal government called.

Abe Asher has the story.

New ad mocks Trump’s excuse that he was too ‘busy’ to hand back classified documents

Mississippi senator wants old Confederate state flag back

Sunday 25 June 2023 07:15 , Graeme Massie

No, really. In 2023...

Josh Marcus has the story.

Mississippi senator wants Confederate state flag back

GOP releases Hunter Biden whistleblower testimonies from ex-IRS agents

Sunday 25 June 2023 06:03 , Graeme Massie

House Republicans released testimony Thursday from two IRS whistleblowers who allege that the Justice Department interfered with their yearslong investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter — a charge the department swiftly denied.

The House Ways and Means Committee, led by Republican Rep. Jason Smith, voted to publicly disclose congressional testimony from two former IRS agents who worked on the federal investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes and foreign business dealings.

Read more...

GOP releases whistleblower testimonies from ex-IRS agents in Hunter Biden case

Is Kari Lake ‘couch-surfing like a bum’ at Mar-a-Lago, as ex-Trump lawyer claims?

Sunday 25 June 2023 05:05 , Graeme Massie

As far-right congresswomen Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene turn on each other in DC, another feud within the MAGA-sphere has deepened, with former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis claiming failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is “couch-surfing” at Mar-a-Lago.

It’s not the oddest story of the week, but it’s up there.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Kari Lake ‘couch-surfing like a bum’ at Mar-a-Lago, ex-Trump lawyer says

Garland denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation

Sunday 25 June 2023 04:08 , Graeme Massie

Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive.

The Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday released a transcript of testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS official who, among other things, claimed that Garland had denied a request from U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware to be appointed special counsel. That designation would have would have given Weiss the same status as the prosecutor leading the investigation into former President Donald Trump.

Weiss never made such a request, Garland said Friday, and always had full authority to file charges wherever and however he saw fit against President Joe Biden‘s son. And Garland added that if Weiss — first appointed U.S. Attorney by Donald Trump — agrees to testify before Congress, the Justice Department will not stand in the way.

Read more...

Attorney general denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation

Infowars host pleads guilty to Capitol riot charge

Sunday 25 June 2023 03:01 , Graeme Massie

Infowars host Owen Shroyer, who promoted baseless claims of 2020 election fraud on the far-right internet platform, pleaded guilty on Friday to joining the mob of Donald Trump supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol.

Shroyer, who didn’t enter the Capitol but led rioters in chants near the top of the building’s steps, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of illegally entering a restricted area. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year behind bars.

Read more...

Infowars host Owen Shroyer pleads guilty to Capitol riot charge

Trump rails against transgender rights

Sunday 25 June 2023 02:28 , David Taintor

Three top reproductive rights groups endorse Biden for 2024

Sunday 25 June 2023 02:04 , Graeme Massie

Three top reproductive rights groups are endorsing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection in 2024.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and Emily’s List are throwing their early support behind the reelection effort in part to highlight the importance of the issue for Democrats heading into the election year, leaders told the Associated Press on Thursday.

Planned Parenthood, Emily's List and NARAL-Pro Choice America endorse Joe Biden in 2024 race

About the ‘Clinton socks’ case Trump keeps mentioning

Sunday 25 June 2023 01:50 , David Taintor

Trump repeats ‘witch hunt’ complaint

Sunday 25 June 2023 01:10 , David Taintor

Trump has repeatedly referred to the criminal indictments against him as “witch hunts”, and Saturday evening was no different.

Trump mentions anniversary of overturning Roe v Wade

Sunday 25 June 2023 01:08 , David Taintor

Donald Trump made reference to the Jackson v Women’s Health ruling that came down from the Supreme Court one year ago, which overturned the right to an abortion.

“A big decision came down one year ago,” Mr Trump said, after an introductory video credited him with the achievement.

Pence calls for 15-week abortion ban on eve of anniversary of Roe being overturned

Sunday 25 June 2023 01:01 , Graeme Massie

Former Vice President Mike Pence called for a national 15-week abortion ban, on the day before the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, during his speech at a gathering of evangelical Christians.

Mr Pence spoke at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference and criticised Republicans who have said that abortion has become politically toxic.

Eric Garcia filed this report from the conference.

Pence calls for 15-week abortion ban on eve of anniversary of Roe being overturned

Trump is about to speak at a conservative Christian event

Sunday 25 June 2023 00:59 , David Taintor

Donald Trump is taking the stage at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority event in Washington, a gathering of evangelical Republicans that has attracted a slew of 2024 candidates.

Before Mr Trump appeared, an introductory highlight reel credited him with overturning abortion protections enshrined under Roe v Wade.

The Independent’s Eric Garcia is in the room for the former president’s speech:

https://twitter.com/EricMGarcia/status/1672755794541158400

Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment

Sunday 25 June 2023 00:08 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump told a crowd at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey that he “doesn’t need any help” fighting his numerous legal battles and that he has actively rejected major law firms offering him assistance.

He made the comments on Thursday night, according to Mediaite.

Graig Graziosi has the details.

Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment

Ex-Trump defence secretary says Prigozhin’s armed uprising will seriously undermine Putin regime

Saturday 24 June 2023 23:08 , Graeme Massie

“Prigozhin had undermined all of that (threats of Ukraine) by saying that it’s not real, Putin was lied to by his generals and this is about senior officials who want to plunder the rest of Ukraine. I think it does incredible damage well beyond the next 24-48 hours,” Mark Esper told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Taylor Greene suggest US behind Russia uprising

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:56 , Graeme Massie

“After our government has been funding a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine for over a year, I sure hope our government isn’t behind a coup attempt currently happening in Russia,” the far-right Republican from Georgia tweeted.

“ Regime change in a nuclear armed country may lead to terrible consequences the American people don’t want.”

Trump dubs Russia coup a ‘big mess’ as fellow presidential candidates weigh in on Wagner rebellion

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:33 , Graeme Massie

Former president says “be careful what you wish for” amid paramilitary crisis.

Trump dubs Russia coup a ‘big mess’ as fellow candidates weigh in on Wagner uprising

Trump speaks at fundraiser for Jan 6 defendants

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:05 , Graeme Massie

The former president spoke at the event, which was held at his private golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Thursday.

“I’m going to make a contribution,” Mr Trump told the gathering for the Patriot Freedom Project, which reportedly included at least one actual defendant along with multiple family members of those charged in the attack on the US Capitol.

“You have police officers, you have firemen, you have teachers, you have electricians, you have great people, and they’ve been made to pay a price — in many cases, not all cases,” Mr Trump was videoed saying.

He also falsely claimed that “BLM and antifa” were behind the Capitol attack.

Trump’s alleged co-conspirator’s arraignment set

Saturday 24 June 2023 22:01 , Graeme Massie

Walt Nauta, who is accused of conspiring with the former president in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case will be arraigned in federal court in Miami on Tuesday at 9.45am.

Trump on Russia and Wagner crisis: ‘Be careful what you wish for!'

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:24 , Alex Woodward

In a pair of statements on his Truth Social account, Trump referred to the evolving armed rebellion in Russia led by a mercenary group as a “big mess” as Belarus stepped in to settle negotiations and avoid bloodshed between Putin’s forces and Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner group.

“A big mess in Russia, but be careful what you wish for. Next in may be far worse!” he wrote on Saturday.

His comments follow a long line of criticisms aimed at his rival Joe Biden and his support for Ukraine throughout Russia’s assault. Trump used the latest threats to baselessly accuse Biden and his son Hunter of “illegally” collecting money from China and asserting that Biden will “do about Russia whatever President Xi” want him to.

Jack Smith in discussions with former Trump campaign official

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:01 , Graeme Massie

Michael Roman is talking to the special counsel’s office about answering questions about the plan to create a slate of pro-Trump electors in key swing states won in 2020 by Joe Biden, reports The New York Times.

If Mr Roman does cooperate, he would be the first person with direct knowledge of the “fake elector” plan to do so, says The Times.

Trump indictment shows US can ‘fight’ to hold onto ‘creaky’ democracy, says Obama

Saturday 24 June 2023 20:02 , Graeme Massie

Former President Barack Obama has said that the indictment of his successor Donald Trump shows that “nobody is above the law”.

The 44th president urged people to fight for the institution of democracy.

Speaking in an hour-long interview with Christiane Amanpour of CNN entitled Obama & Amanpour: Will Democracy Win?, the ex-commander-in-chief was asked about Mr Trump’s legal woes.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Obama says Trump indictment shows US can ‘fight’ to hold onto ‘creaky’ democracy

Trump to speak at Faith and Freedom summit in Washington DC

Saturday 24 June 2023 19:01 , Graeme Massie

Trump is set to address the evengelical Faith and Freedom Coalition event in Washington DC on Saturday night, the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

His speech follows Mike Pence’s remarks on Friday, when he announced support for a national ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Mr Trump, who has repeatedly taken credit for the Supreme Court ruling to strike down a constitutional right to abortion, and Republican officials more broadly have been reluctant to embrace certain bans. The former president also blamed Republicans’ poor outcomes in the 2022 midterm elections because of their anti-abortion platforms.

Read more about the state of abortion access and the political landscape for abortion rights one year after the end of Roe:

The battle for abortion rights is far from over one year after the end of Roe v Wade

Special counsel Jack Smith asks to delay Trump trial over hoard of secret documents

Saturday 24 June 2023 18:06 , Graeme Massie

A criminal trial involving the former president’s stash of White House documents recovered from his home in an FBI raid may not take place until November.

That was the request that Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith filed late Friday evening with judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the prosecution of the former president.

ABC News first reported the filing, which cites the need for prosecutorial staff to obtain security clearances as one of the key reasons for their requested delay past the original trial date in August.

A second motion requests that Ms Cannon prevent the release of a list of witnesses for the trial whom the Justice Department will seek Mr Trump be barred from contacting. Among other crimes, the ex-president is also charged with witness tampering, and has been ordered not to be in contact with one of his close aides – Walt Nauta.

Read more from The Independent’s John Bowden:

Special counsel Jack Smith asks to delay Trump trial over hoard of secret documents

Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments

Saturday 24 June 2023 14:45 , Graeme Massie

Two of Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress have introduced legislation aimed at expunging the former president’s two impeachments.

Elise Stefanik, the fourth highest-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives Republican, and rightwing hardliner Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a pair of resolutions that if enacted would aim to change the record “as if such articles had never been passed”.

Read more...

Trump allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments

Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother

Saturday 24 June 2023 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has announced she has become a grandmother at the age of 36.

Ms Boebert, who has insisted in the past that raising a child is cheaper than paying for birth control, made the announcement while dodging a question about her spat with congressional colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Graig Grazisosi has the story.

Lauren Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother at age 36

Kari Lake sued for defamation by Arizona election official

Saturday 24 June 2023 07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A top Republican election official in Arizona filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against Kari Lake, who falsely claims she lost the 2022 race for governor because of fraud.

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer said he’s faced “violent vitriol and other dire consequences” because of lies spread by Lake, including death threats and the loss of friendships.

Read more...

Arizona Republican election official sues Kari Lake for defamation

‘Trump in heels’ loses election bid

Saturday 24 June 2023 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

No, this is not about a new sartorial direction for the former president.

‘Trump in heels’ loses election bid

‘A monk in a strip club’

Saturday 24 June 2023 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump’s special counsel John Durham was described by a Fox News analyst as looking “about as comfortable as a Benedictine monk in a strip club” while testifying before the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr Durham was grilled for more than six hours on Wednesday over his 306-page report into the FBI’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 US election that fell very short of Mr Trump’s promise it would uncover the “crime of the century”.

As far as we know, no one took off their clothes.

Fox guest: Trump special counsel looked like ‘a monk in a strip club’

Trump pleads with Congress to help him wriggle out of federal charges

Friday 23 June 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump called on Congress to probe the multiple investigations into him on the local, state and federal level in a series of posts on Truth Social.

Mr Trump made the early morning posts the day after the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony from former special counsel John Durham, who investigated the FBI’s probe into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Eric Garcia reports.

Trump calls on Congress to help him wriggle out of federal charges

Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment

Friday 23 June 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump told a crowd at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey that he “doesn’t need any help” fighting his numerous legal battles and that he has actively rejected major law firms offering him assistance.

He made the comments on Thursday night, according to Mediaite.

Graig Graziosi has the details.

Trump claims he ‘doesn’t want any help’ fighting federal indictment

McCarthy supports expunging Trump's impeachments

Friday 23 June 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Friday he supports the idea of expunging the two impeachments of Donald Trump as hard-right Republican allies of the former president introduce a pair of proposals to declare it as though the historic charges never happened.

McCarthy told reporters that he agrees with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Elise Stefanik who want to erase the charges against Trump from the former president’s impeachments of 2019 and 2021.

Read more...

Speaker McCarthy supports expunging Trump's impeachments over Ukraine and Jan. 6

Newest GOP candidate won’t sign RNC pledge to support nominee

Friday 23 June 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Will Hurd, the newest Republican 2024 presidential candidate, says he won’t sign the RNC pledge to support the eventual nominee.

“I’m not going to support Donald Trump.”

Asked if the former president betrayed the nation if the allegations against him are true, he says: “100% he did.”

Watch:

Mr Hurd later tweeted: “We pledge allegiance to the United States, not political leaders. I'm working to fulfill the debate requirements but I'm not going to lie to the American people or my party for the sake of a microphone.”

Former Trump aide slams him for Jan 6 fundraiser

Friday 23 June 2023 21:54 , Oliver O'Connell

In response to the news that former president Donald Trump spoke at a fundraiser for January 6 defendants at his Bedminster golf club, co-host of The View and former White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin tweeted: “Hey Republicans: remember how mad we were when then-Sen. Kamala Harris solicited bail funds for protestors? What Trump is doing is worse.”

Garland denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden probe

Friday 23 June 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back Friday against claims from IRS whistleblowers that the Justice Department interfered with the investigation into Hunter Biden, saying more broadly that attacks on the department’s independence are corrosive.

Read more...

Attorney general denies whistleblower claims of interference in Hunter Biden investigation

AOC responds to DeSantis remarks about San Francisco

Friday 23 June 2023 21:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has responded to video footage of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s speech this morning at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in which he said: “Don’t tell me [woke] doesn’t affect people’s lives. I was just in San Francisco. I saw … people defecating on the sidewalk. I saw people using fentanyl. I saw people smoking crack.”

The New York representative commented on Twitter: “DeSantis led a Florida law that has already forced women to carry unviable pregnancies to term, just to watch their newborn die.

“But instead of acknowledg[ing] his brutality against women, he wants to scare you with his alleged accounts of struggling people, whom he also won’t help.”

Hunter Biden attorney dismisses WhatApp text allegations

Friday 23 June 2023 20:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Hunter Biden’s attorney Chris Clark gave a statement to Fox News about the WhatsApp text allegations about the president’s son: “Any verifiable words or actions of my client in the midst of a horrible addiction are solely his own and have no connection to anyone in his family.”